


Early Days

by zenogias



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Newtina Winter Fic Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 03:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16987578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenogias/pseuds/zenogias
Summary: Tina didn't answer, instead she started snickering.  Soon she began to clutch her stomach as she shook with peals of laughter."Tina?"  Queenie grasped her sister's shoulders, quite concerned.





	Early Days

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is for the Newtina Discord Community's Winter Fic Week. Set after roughly 5 years after 'The Crimes of Grindelwald'.

It was a short respite from the war, courtesy of none other than his brother. What was really supposed to be a quick meeting in New York became a vacation offer that they all jumped at. After all according to Theseus, it would have been a bloody waste of an international portkey had he only been the one to go. Deep down Newt knew that his brother understood how much the gesture meant to everyone.

After a sharp tug, the party of five finally arrived at the MACUSA offices in New York. Perhaps remembering his first experience with the port key three years ago, Jacob made sure to breathe into a brown paper bag while wavering on his feet. Theseus stifled an amused laugh as Queenie rushed to Jacob's side to keep him from falling.

Newt turned to look at the woman beside him who was also looking at the loving couple. Shyly, he stepped closer to her and entwined his fingers with hers. Tina looked down at their hands before gracing him with a resplendent smile. 

The party of the British Ministry's Head of Magical Enforcement was quiet sight: a famous Magizoologist, a former MACUSA Auror, a former follower of Grindelwald and a once obliviated muggle. The MACUSA officer who assisted with the portkey was about to comment when tall, blonde and blue eyed Achilles Tolliver saved them from another session of uncomfortable questioning. Newt stiffened upon seeing the aforementioned man but the small hand that grasped his own grounded him.

Thankfully, the exchange in greetings were kept cordially short. Before long Theseus and his counterpart disappeared through the halls of MACUSA. The group remained silent on their way out, trying not to draw attention additional to themselves.

As they stepped out of the Woolworth Building, Queenie let out a horrified gasp. The streets were a mess, the establishments displaying signs of depravity and despair blanketing the pedestrians. The gray skies and the drizzle of snow seemed to make it worse.

Despite their involvement with the war against Grindelwald, news of the American Great Depression has spread through the continents. It seems like the reports that they have read failed to capture the tragedy and bleakness of the situation and they were not prepared for the reality assailing their eyes. Queenie began to sob and buried herself at Jacob side. The older man looked helplessly around the city he once called home, with wide teary eyes. Beside him, he could feel Tina shiver. He quickly put his arms around her shoulders as she began to sag. 

Seemingly able to get a grip of himself, Jacob caught his eye and gave him an imperceptible nod. "Let's get moving", he urged.

Newt bent his head to whisper silently, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Tina muttered as she pulled him closer to her. 

Any desire to tour New York was lost and they wandered aimlessly in silence. Somehow their feet took them right before the gates of Central Park. They paused before the majestic gates enclosing nature's final sanctuary in the sprawling metropolis. The park seemed empty due to the dismal weather and the darkening skies. 

"Do you remember when we first moved to New York?" Queenie turned to address her sister with a wistful smile on her face. "It was right after graduation."

"I remember you were in a hurry to get out of Massachusetts." Tina sniffed. 

"Massachusetts?" Jacob asked intrigued.

"The home of the greatest wizarding school in the world, Ilvermorny!" Queenie exclaimed in a matter-of-factly tone.

Newt smiled at the exchange glad that the dour mood was beginning to lift. Although, he felt compelled to counter the assertion. "That would be Hogwarts."

"Hogwash", answered a teasing voice by his side. "Professor Dumbledore continues to talk about devastated he was when he couldn't push through with his Ilvermorny academic exchange program." Tina countered with a smirk.

"He was just humoring you, Tina." Newt shot back in playful banter causing the Tina to raise an amused eyebrow.

"So what did you guys do in your school during the winter?" Jacob grinned. "All I remember from mine were snow ball fights."

"Yule Ball." Newt groaned remembering being forced to attend those dancing lessons for an event he planned on skipping on. 

"We had the winter festival!" Queenie clapped her hands together. "Teenie and I used to join all the time."

"Join what?" Newt asked genuinely curious.

"The no-maj ice skating competitions, of course!" Queenie remarked while Tina attempted to hide her face with her free hand.

"No-maj?" Jacob echoed confused. "I thought wizards don't really bother with our stuff?"

A flash of sadness swept through Queenie's eyes as she shook her head. "Not in Ilvermorny. One of the founders of our school is a no-maj so we were encouraged to be familiar with no-maj traditions."

"You skated?" Newt asked. It's the early days and Newt is reminded how much more there is to learn about her and how much he looking forward to all that.

"Only because Queenie needed a partner", Tina frowned. 

"Pish Posh." Queenie waved away her sister's response. "You know that isn't true. Besides when we got to New York, we still skated every year..." Queenie trailed off into silence.

Tina untangled her fingers from Newt and move to embrace her sister. No words were said out loud, only thoughts and emotions flowing between the bond of Goldstein sisters. A moment passed and once again Queenie was bouncing on the heels of her feet, grabbing both of her sister's hands, with a giddy look on her face.

"No", Tina deadpanned at Queenie's unspoken idea. However, her sister have having none of it and began to drag Tina into Central Park. Tina shot Newt a pleading look but he just shrugged with an bemused smile. 

The two men fell into step beside each other, following the women they deeply care for. "They needed that." Jacob said and Newt couldn't help but agree.

Between everything that has happened in the last five years since he first docked in New York, there had been little time left between sisters. The moments when they were at odds with one another was difficult. They had just reunited recently and Tina fought tooth and nail to make sure her sister isn't thrown to Azkaban or something far worse. However, there are still too many wounds left to heal. Stealing little moments together is their way of moving forward.

"Here we are!" Queenie gestured at a frozen lake with a old bridge. "Teenie and I used to skate here all the time when the lake has frozen over. Didn't we?"

Tina didn't answer, instead she started snickering. Soon she began to clutch her stomach as she shook with peals of laughter. 

"Tina?" Queenie grasped her sister's shoulders, quite concerned. There was a pause before Queenie blinked and joined her sister in hysterical laugher.

The two men gave each other confused looks.

"You never told me!" Queenie exclaimed engaged in a quiet conversation with her sister who was still reeling in the fits of laughter. Queenie reached for the tree trunk nearby to steady herself but then did a double-take before sputtering out more laughter making her slip and fall on the snow. 

Jacob was beside her in a flash, reaching down to help her up. "Baby? What's wrong?"

"I knew there was something about you, Jacob." Queenie started wiping the tears that leaked out of her eyes. "But I never thought it was animal magnetism!"

"Huh?" Jacob looked completely bewildered.

Queenie wasn't done. She turned to Newt with a devious smirk on her face. "And I hope you didn't dance like that for my sister!"

Newt blinked. The gears in his head churned leading him to a horrified conclusion. "You were there!" He squeaked, looking at Tina with wide eyes.

Tina finally managed to get her laughter under control. "You're not a hard man to find, Mr. Scamander."

Newt ducked his head and desperately tried not to be infected by Tina's contagious smile. He didn't really think about anyone else might be watching at that time. He didn't want to think how strange it was to perform a mating dance before the witch he was staring to get conflicting feelings for.

"Wait..." Jacob trailed off as soon as the realization set in. He looked at Newt in a panic.

"Oh sweetie," Queenie crooned touching Jacob's face after getting a read on him. "We weren't laughing at you. It was just the whole thing was hilarious."

"It wasn't anything to be embarrassed about", Tina added. "I think that's about the only thing anyone could have done in that situation. Newt lost his wand and everything happened so fast. I didn't know how to handle that galloping erumpent."

"What happened to your wand?" Jacob looked at the wizard in question. 

"A monkey stole it." Newt sighed deciding it was better to get it out in the open. 

There was another round of laughter but this time everyone joined in. It was amazing how a memory could banish the heavy sadness that they were carrying earlier.

Soon enough, Queenie hopped to the lake's bank. "Come on, Teenie! It's getting late." She gestured at the magic repressing bracelets she now wore as a compromise with the authorities. With a sigh, Tina raised her wand transfiguring the boots that she and her sister wore into figure skates. Queenie squealed in delight and immediately started to glide gracefully through the ice. 

Tina turned to look at her two other companions, "Would you like to join us?"

"Uh..." Newt fidgeted. "A little later?" 

"Jacob?"

"I'll just sit this one out with Newt.", came Jacob's sheepish reply.

"You know, Queenie will drag you out there soon", Tina teased.

Jacob laughed nervously. "Just give me a few minutes to prepare myself. I think the last time I skated was when I was ten." Tina laughed before stepping into the lake herself to join her sister.

Sitting on the snowy bank, the two men sat in companionable silence each one lost in their own thoughts as they stared at the sisters skate.

Five years ago as he reluctantly boarded the steam ship going back to London, Newt entertained a fantasy of his return trip back to New York. He'll come back triumphantly offering the first printed copy of his book to a waiting Tina by the docks. It would be all shy smiles and lingering gazes which would he knew would eventually lead to more. There were no dark wizards. No forced gatherings. No awkward book parties. It would just have been him and Tina, sailing off to a proverbial sunset with a suitcase full of creatures. Instead it had been a series of miscommunication with conflict in every turn. Despite it all, they found small pockets of time to treasure, to keep them going through dark times. 

"We got lucky, didn't we." Jacob exclaimed cutting through Newt's thoughts.

"Yes." Newt smiled, thinking it was more than luck. Luck didn't begin to describe how someone like him, who had given up on relationships, had found someone who was not only willing to join him in his chosen life but also expand his heart in ways he couldn't dream of. 

After a few more minutes, the two sisters slowed down and they could see Queenie wildly waving her arms gesturing them to come down.

" I hope I don't break my back." Jacob heaved a long sigh as he stood up. "Newt, would you kindly?"

"No problem." Newt tapped his wand on Jacob's shoes transfiguring them into figure skates. He watched as Jacob wobbled to the ice with Queenie dashing to meet him. Newt glanced at Tina who watched over Queenie and Jacob, ready to offer assistance if needed. 

He didn't think he will ever tire of watching Tina. War hasn't dampened her spirit, instead she blossomed in adversity. She is a battle hardened warrior through and through, all skills and quick reflexes. It is his greatest honor to be able to see in her most unguarded and vulnerable moments, where she is most beautiful - that she trusts him enough with that side her.

Feeling his eyes on her, Tina turned and met his and in a blink of an eye apparated next to him before plopping down beside him on the snow. "So what's your excuse, Mr. Scamander?"

"Pardon?"

"Why aren't you out there?" She nodded toward the frozen lake. 

"I can't skate." Newt gave a self deprecating laugh. "Chasing after an erumpent in the lake doesn't mean I can skate like muggles."

"I'll teach you, Newt", Tina smiled and brushed his cheek. "I promise to catch you if you fall."

In response, Newt took her hand and looked down to marvel at the sight of the simple gold band on her finger, his heart bursting with the knowledge that he wore the other half of the identical pair. When he looked up, he noticed that she too was looking at their entwined fingers with a soft smile on her face. Slowly he lowered his face toward hers and felt her catch her breath before his lips captured hers.

It's the early days.

Skating can wait.


End file.
